1928 Passenger, Express and Air Mail Routes in The United States.

1926

1928 Map

The following is a fasinating look at the very begining of the airline systems and routes back in 1928:
The list is all the principal services carrying mail {M.), passengers
(P.), and express (£.), now in operation—or commencing
very shortly. For the year 1928.

In every case, mails are carried under contract from the U.S.
Government, while some of the operating companies carry
passengers and/or express freight in addition ; some carry
passengers or express only. Originally, it will be remembered,
mails were transported only between New York and San
Francisco by U.S. Post Office machines. Subsequently a
few " feeder " lines were added, under contract, and finally
the Transcontinental route itself was operated under contract
.
New York-Chicago (723 miles), via Cleveland and Toledo.
M.P.E. Operated by National Air Transport, Inc. (N.A.T.).
Equipment—20 Douglas (" Liberty 12 ") ; 8 Travel Air
(Wright J-5) ; 7 Curtiss "Pigeon" (" Liberty 12 " ) ;
1 Pitcairn " Mailwing " (Wright J-5) ; 1 Arial Mercury
("Liberty 12").

Toledo-Detroit (50 miles). Branch line by N.A.T.

Chicago-Dallas (995 miles), via Moline St. Joseph:
Kansas City : WTichita : Ponca City : Oklahoma City : Fort
Worth. M.P.E. National Air Transport, Inc. (N.A.T.")
.
Ponca City-Tulsa (72 miles). Branch line by N.A.T., and
also passenger service operated by Bluebird Airway.

Tulsa-Oklahoma City (100 miles) and Tulsa-Ponca City
(72 miles). P. Operated by Paul R. Bramiff, Inc. Equipment—
Stinson Detroiter Sm-IB (Wright J-5).

Chicago-San Francisco (1,949 miles), via Iowa City :
Des Moines: Omaha : North Platte: Cheyenne : Rock
Springs: Salt Lake : Elko : Reno ; Sacramento and Oakland.
M.P.E. Operated by Boeing Air Transport, Inc. Equipment—
8 Boeing 40-A (" Wasp ") • 14 Boeing 40-B (" Hornet')
1 Boeing 80 (" Wasp ").


Mailwing

New York-Boston (219 miles), via Hartford. M.P.E.
Operated by Colonial Air Transport, Inc. Equipment—
7 Fairchild monoplanes (Wright J-5) and 3 Pitcaim " Mailwings
" (Wright J-5).

New York-Atlanta (763 miles), via New Brunswick :
Philadelphia : Washington : Richmond : Greenboro : Spartanburg.
M. Operated by Pitcairn Aviation, Inc. Equipment—
15 Pitcairn " Orowings " (Ox-5) ; 8 Pitcairn " Mailwings
" (Wright J-5) ; 6 Pitcairn " Fleetwings " (Ox5 & K-6) ;
1 Fairchild Cabin (Wright J-5).

Atlanta-Miami (612 miles), via Macon, Jacksonville.
Extension of above. M.

New York-Washington (181 miles). P.E. Operated by
U.S. Air Transport Inc. Equipment—Rvan Brougham (Wright
J-5).

New York-Montreal (350 miles), via Albany. M.P.
Operated by Canadian Colonial Airways, Inc. Equiptnent—
4 Fairchild " all purpose " (" Wasp ") ; 2 Pitcairn " Mailwings
" (Wright J-5).

Albany-Cleveland (445 miles), via Schenectady : Utica :
Syracuse : Rochester : Buffalo. M.P.E. Operated bv
Colonial Western Airways, Inc. Equipment—4 Fairchild
Cabins (Wright J-5) ; 2 Pitcairn " Mailwings " (Wright J-5).

Cleveland-Pittsburgh (121 miles), via Youngstown.
M.P. Operated by Clifford Bell.


Ford Tri

Cleveland-Detroit (155 miles). M.P. Operated by
Ford Motor Co. (and Stout Air Services, Inc.). Equipment—
Ford-Stout tri-motor (Wright J-5)
.
Detroit-Chicago (252 miles). M. Ford Motor Co.

Detroit-Buffalo (218 miles). E. Ford Motor Co.

Cleveland-Louisville (350 miles), via Akron : Columbus :
Dayton : Cincinnati. M.P. Operated by Continental Air
Lines, Inc. Equipment—4 Travel Air (Wright J-5)
.
Cleveland-Chicago (318 miles). P.E. Operated by
Universal Air Lines. Equipment—3 Hamilton metal 'planes ;
1 Fairchild Cabin mono.

Chicago-Minneapolis-St. Paul (399 miles), via Milwaukee
; Madison: La Crosse. M.P.E. Operated by
Northwest Airways, Inc. Equipment—3 Stinson Detroiter
(Wright J-5) ; 3 Waco 10 (Ox-5) ; 2 Hamilton metal planes
(P. & W. "Hornet")* 1 Laird Commercial (Wright J-5).
Passenger and express service also operated by Universal
Air Lines.

Minneapolis-Fargo (230 miles), via St. Panl: Alexandria.
P.E. Operated bv Universal Air Lines.

Minneapolis-Duluth (130 miles). P.E. Operated by
Universal Air Lines.

Detroit-Chicago (265 miles), via Ann Arbor : Jackson :
Battle Creek : Kalamazoo : South Bend : La Poste. M.
Operated by Thompson Aeronautical Corp. Equipment—
4 Stinson mono (Wright J-5), 1 Laird (Wright J-5).

Kalamazoo-Bay City (130 miles), via Lansing : Saginaw :
M. Branch of above.

Kalamazoo-Muskegon (85 miles), via Grand Rapids.
M. Branch of above

Chicago-Cincinnati (267 miles), via Indianapolis. M.P.E.
Operated bv Embry Riddle Co. Equipment—8 Waco 10
(Ox-5 and "Wright J-5) ; 4 Fairchild Cabm (Wright J-5);
2 Ryan Brougham (Wright J-5) ; 1 Stinson cabin (Wright J-5).

Chicago-Atlanta (623 miles), via Terre Haute : Evansville
: Nashville : Chattanooga. M. Operated by Interstate
Air Lines, Inc.

Evansville-St. Louis (145 miles). M. Branch of above.

Atlanta-Chattanooga (107 miles). P.E. Operated by
Tennessee Air Transport Co. Equipment—2 Travel Air
(Hispano E)
.
Chicago-Memphis (480 miles). P. Operated by Mid-
South Airways, Inc. Equipment—3 Stinson Detroiter (Wright
J-5).


Travelair


Chicago-St. Louis (268 miles), via Peoria : Springfield.
M.P.E. Operated by Robertson Aircraft Corp. Equipment—
4 Ford trimotor (Wright J-5) : 3 Ryan Brougham (Wright
J-5) ; 2 Travel Air (J-5) ; also 30 D.H., Standard, Travel Air
and Waco.

St. Louis-Omaha (401 miles), via Kansas City. M.
Branch of above.

Atlanta-New Orleans (483 miles), via Birmingham :
Mobile. M.P. Operated by St. Tammany Gulf Coast Airways,
Inc. Equipment—1 Fokker Universal; 1 Pitcairn
•' Mailwing " ; 1 Travel Air (all Wright J-5).

New Orleans-Laredo (615 miles), via Houston. M.
Branch of above ; also branches to Brownsville.

New Orleans-Pilottown (75 miles). M. Operated by
New Orleans Air Line.

Galveston-Dallas (308 miles), via Houston : Waco : Fort
Worth. M.P. Operated by Texas Air Transport, Inc. Equipment—
4 Pitcairn " Mailwings " ; 3 Swallow ; 1 Ryan B-l
.
Dallas-San Antonio (281 miles), via Fort Worth : Waco :
Austin. M.P. Branch of above.

Cheyenne-Pueblo (200 miles), via Denver: Colorado
Springs. M.P.E. Operated by Western Air Express. Equipment—
Douglas, Fokker and Stearman.

Salt Lake City-Los Angeles (633 miles), via Las Vegas.
M.P.E. Branch of above.

Salt Lake City-Great Falls (489 miles), via Ogden :
Pocatello ; Butte : Helena. M.P.E. Operated by National
Parks Airways, Inc. Equipment—4 Fokker Super-Universal
(P. & W . " Wasp").

Salt Lake City-Pasco (540 miles), via Boise. M.
Operated bv Varnev Air Lines. Equipment—7 Stearman ;
4 Swallow.

Seattle-Los Angeles (1,080 miles), via Tacoma : Portland :
Mid ford ; Oakland S.F.. : Fresno : Bakcrsfield. M.P.E. Operated
by Pacific Air Transport, Inc. Equipment—Boeing 40-C
(P. & W. "Wasp"). Also Passenger and Express Service
operated between Seattle-Tacoma-Chehalis-Portland-
Medford-Corning and San Francisco by West Coast Air
Transport Co. with Bach mono. (Wasp-Siemens).

Seattle-Victoria (77 miles). M.P. Operated by North-
West Airways.

Seattle-Vancouver (125 miles), P.E. Operated by Commercial
Air Transport, Inc. Equipment—Ryan Brougham
(Wright J-5).

San Francisco (Oakland)-Agua Caliente (570 miles),
via Fresno : Bakersfield : Los Angeles ; Long Beach : Santa
Ava : San Diego. P.E. Operated by Maddux Air Lines. Inc.
Equipment—5 Ford Tri-motor (Wright J-5) ; 1 Lockheed
(Wright J-5).

Los Angeles-Oakland (410 miles), via Fresno : Merced :
San Jose. P.E. Operated by Mutual Aircraft Corp. Equipment—
6 Ryan Brougham (Wright J-5).

Los Angeles-Tucson (440 miles), via Phoenix. P.E.
Operated by Standard Air Lines, Inc. Equipment—Fokker
Universal (Wright